


Cat Thief

by darkbluebox



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, F/F, First Meetings, Fluff, nobody ships hollstein more than Laura's pet cat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-05
Updated: 2015-04-05
Packaged: 2018-03-21 08:45:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3685818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkbluebox/pseuds/darkbluebox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Laura comes home from work to find a very attractive stranger sleeping on her couch.<br/>A stranger who, for whatever reason, gets on really well with her cat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cat Thief

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second fic involving a prominent feline character. I think it's becoming a habit.  
> 

Laura was yawning loudly when she let herself into her poky flat in the early hours of the morning. It had been a tough night at work, but at least now she was back she could collapse into bed and spend the next few hours snoozing with her cat Muffin. She dropped her bags onto the floor with a clatter. It was at this point she noticed that something was off – Muffin usually came running as soon as she opened the door, twisting around her ankles (more often than not making Laura trip) and mewing pitifully.

 

“Muffin? Where are you, huh?” Laura called out to the darkened apartment. When no reply came, she began to worry.

 

She noticed that the flat was a lot cooler than usual, and was that a breeze?

 

Laura walked from the hallway through to the living room. When she saw the glass door that lead onto her balcony had been smashed she froze, fear twisting in her stomach. Had someone broken in? No way. They were eighteen floors up. How could anyone have gotten onto her balcony?

 

That was when she heard Muffin’s purring. Her eyes followed the sound to the couch, where she could make out a large shape. Fingers shaking, she flicked the light switch on.

 

There was a pretty girl on her couch.

 

Or, more accurately, there was a pretty girl _sleeping_ on her couch. With Muffin curled up beside her.

 

 _Cat thief!_ Was Laura’s first thought. Followed by _This girl broke into your flat for a nap, and you’re having cat-jealousy._  

 

Laura fumbled for her phone in her pocket.

 

“Hi, police? I need to report a break-in.”

 

The girl turned over in her sleep and moaned.

 

She was about to give her address when Muffin, for no obvious reason, jumped up from her place beside Mystery Girl and dashed across the room to launch herself at Laura.

 

“Muffin, what the – ow!” Laura tumbled over backwards with a thump. Her phone slipped through her fingers and skidded out of reach.

 

Laura glared into Muffin’s amber eyes.

 

“What did you do that for, huh?”

 

There was a loud groan from the couch. The girl was slowly pulling herself upright, running a hand through her hair and blinking blearily in confusion.

 

Her eyes met Laura’s.

 

“What the _fuck_ are you doing in my flat?”

 

Laura’s mouth dropped open.

 

“ _Your flat?!_ ”

 

“Yeah…” The slur in Mystery Girl’s voice didn’t escape Laura’s notice.

 

“This is _my_ flat! Which you have broken into!”

 

“Oh.” Mystery Girl didn’t seem too bothered about her accidental crime. “In that case… I may have eaten some of your food. Or all of it.” Her shoulders slumped, and she rolled back onto her side.

 

“Holy crap. How much have you had to drink?” Laura wasn’t exactly impressed with Mystery Girl, but she had to make sure she was alright. She walked over, gently shaking her by the shoulders.

 

“Hey. Hey, are you ok?”

 

Mystery Girl snored.

 

“What is the number for your flat? I can help you get back there.” Laura tried again.

 

“It’s… it’s…”

 

The pause was so long Laura wondered if she had fallen asleep again.

 

“I’m pretty sure…it’s a number.”

 

 

“I should call the police on you.” Laura sighed in exasperation. She cursed her soft heart. The girl was just drunk, and she couldn’t simply leave her in the hallway.

 

Muffin had returned to the stranger’s side, where she began purring loudly once more.

 

“Don’t know why you’ve taken such a shine to her.” Laura scowled at her cat. “She’s a _criminal_. I should have gotten a guard dog.”

 

Muffin blinked at her.

 

“Fine. She can stay. But if she turns out to be a serial killer or whatever, I’m blaming you.”

 

Luckily, the early warmth of summer meant the room wasn’t too cold despite the air blowing through the smashed glass of the balcony door. She patched it as quickly as possible from what she could find lying around, before stopping to drape a spare blanket over Mystery Girl’s shoulders. She couldn’t let her catch a cold, after all.

 

So, although it wasn’t exactly the smartest thing she had ever done, she left the complete stranger snoring on her couch to go to bed at last, very much hoping that when she woke up she wouldn’t be robbed of all her furniture.

 

***

 

Carmilla woke up aware of a heavy weight on her chest. She opened her eyes blearily to blink at the brown cat curled up on top of her. The cat blinked back.

 

“Hello.” Carmilla scratched the cat’s ears absent-mindedly, taking in her environment. It looked a lot like her own apartment, except for the fact that, last time she had checked, there wasn’t normally a cat in her place. It was also a _lot_ cleaner than her flat. She pushed herself upright, dislodging the cat from its seat on her front. As she moved a blanket slid off her and onto the floor. She noticed with disdain the paw-print pattern which spiralled across the custard-yellow material. Something else which would never make an appearance in her flat.

 

“Morning!” Called out a cheerful and irritatingly loud voice. Carmilla clutched her head and groaned.

 

“…or should I say afternoon?” The voice continued.

 

“Too loud.” Carmilla mumbled. She swung her feet onto the floor, and at last her eyes found the source of the voice.

 

On the armchair in front of her sat a girl about her age wearing fluffy, babyish pyjamas with a teddy bear on the front. Her knees were tucked up to her chest and she was watching Carmilla curiously over the top of her tardis mug.

 

“Uh…” Carmilla shook her hair out of her eyes. “That was some party.”

 

“I gathered.” The girl smirked.

 

“Uh…ok, I’m going to be honest here, I can’t actually remember much of last night… did we sleep together?”

 

The girl choked on her tea. Carmilla didn’t even try to conceal her smirk. This girl wasn’t half as cool as she was pretending to be.

 

“Is that a yes?” She stretched, taking delight in noticing the red flush creeping over the girl’s cheeks.

 

“N-no!” She drew herself up haughtily, trying to regain control. “As a matter of fact, you broke in.” She nodded with a frown towards a smashed glass door with another blanket hanging over it. “I hope you have money, because there’s _no way_ I’m paying for that.”

 

Carmilla raised an eyebrow. “But why would I break in here in the first place, sweetie?”

 

“You tell me!” the girl yelled in exasperation. “But I’m less interested in the why and more in the how! That door goes onto the balcony! And we’re eighteen floors up! How?!”

 

Carmilla shrugged disinterestedly.

 

“I was at one of Kirsch’s parties. Flat 1922, dunno if you know him? His parties are pretty infamous. Especially for defying the laws of physics. I guess we’ll never know.”

 

Carmilla stood up and wandered out into the hallway, peering into a couple rooms before finding the kitchen. The girl followed, and Carmilla noted with some satisfaction that the girl was actually shorter than her. Not something that happened often.

 

“Make yourself at home, why don’t you?” The girl grumbled as Carmilla pulled a box of cereal off a shelf and began searching for a bowl.

 

“Thanks, cupcake.”

 

“My name is Laura!”

 

Carmilla looked up, meeting the girl’s – Laura’s – eyes for the first time, finding them a startlingly attractive warm brown.

 

“Nice to meet you. Cupcake. I’m Carmilla.” She went back to getting herself some cereal, her heart beating a little faster but unsure why.

 

“You’ll be lucky if there’s anything left. It seems you had a pretty big snack before you passed out on my couch.”

 

Carmilla snorted unapologetically.

 

“Call the cops on me, then.”

 

“I’ll have you know I nearly did!”  
  


“Then why didn’t you?” Carmilla spun around so that she was leaning against the kitchen counter, watching Laura as she ate.

 

“Uh…” Laura blushed. “My cat took a likening to you.”

 

There was a well-timed mewl, and Carmilla looked down to see the brown cat weaving between their legs.

 

“Hey, cutie.” She leaned down to scratch the top of the cat’s head.

 

When she straightened up again she became aware of how tiny Laura’s kitchen was. It was just the same size as Carmilla’s, of course, as all the flats in the block were, yet now that the space was being shared by two people (plus a very friendly cat) it suddenly felt so much smaller. So when she found herself standing opposite Laura, the space – or _lack of_ – suddenly seemed very… noticeable.

 

As did Laura. Carmilla found her eyes sweeping over the smaller girl as she ate, noticing her dimples, her ruffled bed-hair, her button nose…

 

Carmilla felt odd. She decided to blame the hangover, and not the really-quite-cute girl whose house she had apparently broken into. She coughed and slid up onto the kitchen counter, widening the space between them a little and letting her legs dangle over the edge, not quite reaching the floor.

 

“It sure is messy in here, huh.” Carmilla mumbled, mouth full of cornflakes.

 

“Yeah.” Laura folded her arms and gave Carmilla a pointed look. “That _wasn’t_ me.”

 

“Wow. Your cat is a slob.”

 

Laura giggled, and something in Carmilla’s stomach twisted. Uh oh.

 

“I should go.” Carmilla jumped abruptly down from the counter. “Thanks for the food. And the couch”

 

She didn’t give Laura a chance to reply, instead stalking out into the hallway. Before she could reach the door out of the flat, a ball of fur dashed past, nearly sending her flying.

 

The cat placed itself between Carmilla and the doorway, amber eyes fixed upon her.

“What?” Carmilla stared at the cat uncomprehendingly.

 

“You didn’t say goodbye to her, I think.” Laura stood in the kitchen doorway, watching with interest.

 

Carmilla sighed. “Goodbye, uh…” She turned to Laura. “What’s its name?”

 

“Muffin.” Laura smiled.

 

“You’re kidding, right?”

 

“Says the girl who called me cupcake!”

 

Carmilla groaned. She crouched in order to give the cat’s ears a final rub. “Goodbye, _Muffin._ ”

 

She let herself out, trying and failing not to sneak a last glance back at Laura as she did.   

 

 ***

 

Laura sighed and leaned back against the wall. Mystery Girl – or Carmilla, as it turned out – was…intense. Borderline intimidating, even. Cocky. Arrogant. Rude. Annoying.

 

But worst of all, she was really, really, unfairly, infuriatingly hot.

 

And Laura had utterly failed to ask for her number. Or what flat she lived in. She could have kicked herself.

 

Muffin sat at the door, unmoving, her eyes fixed accusingly upon Laura.

 

“What?” Laura muttered. Muffin didn’t reply, but continued to glare in a manner that was almost accusatory.

 

Laura let her head fall back against the wall with a quiet thud.

 

Apart from her other troubles, she also had a glass door in need of fixing. And considering the fact that she had no way of contacting the person who broke it, she would probably have to pay for it too. Fantastic.

 

Yet as much as Carmilla deserved it, Laura couldn’t quite bring herself to be angry.

 

She was _so_ screwed.

 

***

 

When Carmilla found her way back to her own apartment some time later the first thing she did was take a nap. Which accidently ended up lasting the whole day. Oops.

 

When she dragged herself out of bed again in the early evening she found herself unable to rid herself of the memories of Laura that clung on in the corners of her mind.

 

Her own kitchen seemed more dull and empty now she had seen Laura’s and shared it with her. Her couch wasn’t as cosy as Laura’s, either. And waking up wasn’t nearly as much fun when there wasn’t a cat lying on top of you.

 

The truth of it was, she liked Laura. Unfortunately, Carmilla wasn’t good at liking people. The last time she had crushed on someone it had ended…badly, to say the least. So now when she found herself liking someone, she avoided them at all costs. That would be all too easy with Laura – the girl had no way of finding Carmilla, and Carmilla couldn’t even remember what number she lived at. The block was one of the biggest in the city, so the chances of running into each other wasn’t high. It would be fine. Carmilla had nothing to worry about.

 

Now, if she could just stop _thinking_ about her…

 

There was a scratching noise from the balcony. Carmilla froze. Odd.

 

Like Laura’s flat, the balcony was separated from the living room by a glass door. But today, outside her door was-

 

“Muffin?”

 

The cat batted at the glass with its paw. Carmilla watched in shock. There was no mistaking it. The same amber eyes, the brown fur, the dark patch above one eye – it was Laura’s cat. On her balcony.

 

She opened the door and Muffin dashed in.

 

“What are you – hey!” The cat moved faster than lightning, streaking straight for Carmilla’s couch and curling up on the seat.

 

“You do know you don’t live here, right?” Carmilla growled. She wasn’t an expert at reading feline expressions, but she was pretty sure Muffin’s said _hypocrite._

 

Carmilla sighed. She left the door to the balcony open (even if Muffin didn’t look as though she was leaving anytime soon) and flopped down beside her on the couch, flicking the TV on.

 

She didn’t notice exactly when Muffin clambered onto her lap, but the next thing she knew she was lazily stroking her hand through Muffin’s fur and dozing off in front of the TV.

 

When she woke up, Muffin had gone. Carmilla wandered out onto the balcony.

 

“But seriously, how did she even get onto the balcony?” Carmilla pondered. “How did she even find me?”

 

It was pretty weird, sure, but at the end of the day Carmilla decided she didn’t really care. Like it or not, she had a new friend.

 

***

 

Over the next few weeks, Muffin continued to appear – God knew how – at the door to her balcony, any time of day or night. She would follow Carmilla around her flat – tripping her up every time she moved – and the second she took a seat anywhere Muffin would take a seat on her lap. She ate Carmilla’s food and slept on Carmilla’s furniture. The times at which she turned up at the door became so ridiculous that Carmilla got into the habit of simply leaving the door open whenever she was in the flat.

 

She had accidently adopted someone else’s cat. But the worst part was, it didn’t even _bother_ her. Sure, Muffin was clingy, noisy, demanding and had no respect for personal boundaries, but then, Carmilla was just the same. She was sharing a flat with the feline equivalent of herself.

 

She found herself thinking about Muffin’s owner more and more despite having met her for less than a few minutes. She also thought about how she would react upon learning that the girl who broke into her flat had semi – stolen her pet cat.

 

But that would probably never happen, so it wasn’t as though she needed to worry about it.

 

***

 

As Laura closed the door to her flat behind her Muffin rushed towards her.

 

“Hey, cutie!” Laura dropped her bags to pick Muffin up. “Geez, why are you getting so heavy? I’ve only been feeding you as much as I normally do!”

 

Muffin said nothing, purring contentedly.

 

***

 

When Carmilla heard the pitter-patter of Muffin’s paws, something about the laboured irregularity of it told her that something was off. She sat up from her slouch, searching for Muffin’s form in the dimming evening light. Unable to spot her, Carmilla leaned over and switched the lamp on.

 

Her eyes immediately fell upon the droplets of blood which trailed across the floor.

 

“Shit. _Shit._ ” She followed the blood trail to a spot beside her feet. “Muffin? Muffin? Oh _shit_.”

 

Her brown fur was matted with blood and her ribcage was rising and falling frantically. Hands shaking, Carmilla gently scooped her up into her arms.

 

“It’s ok. You’re going to be fine, just as soon as we get you to a vet.” Carmilla whispered, comforting the cat as much as herself.

 

***

 

A trip to the vet told her that it had most likely been a fight with another cat. The wounds weren’t deadly, thank God, but they were deep enough to need stitches. The vet would have to keep her in for a few days at least.

 

Which brought Carmilla to her next problem. Muffin was not actually her cat. Muffin was Laura’s cat. Laura would probably be wondering where her cat had gone by now.

 

Carmilla had to tell her.

 

Which meant finding her first.

 

***

 

“I’m… I’m not _authorised_ to give out people’s addresses just willy-nilly!” The secretary pushed her glasses up her nose nervously.

 

“Listen, creampuff-”

 

“It’s Perry!”

 

“Whatever. I _need_ this girl’s room number. Her cat is ill, and she has no idea.”

 

“It’s-it’s strictly against our security policy! I’m sorry!”

 

“Come on! Just type the name “Laura” in to your computer thingy, tell me what number comes up and then we can forget this ever happened!”

 

“Wait…” The secretary froze, twitching the pen on her desk so it was aligned parallel to the keyboard. “Laura Hollis? It’s her cat that’s injured?”

 

“Yeah! So if I could get her flat number-”

 

“Oh no! Poor Muffin! That’s just, that’s really terrible!” The secretary looked genuinely distraught.

 

 _I don’t have time for this_. Carmilla rolled her eyes. _Is that cat friends with the whole building?_

“The cat’s fine, I swear. I just need to find Laura so I can tell her.”

 

“Oh, of course! But please, you _can’t_ tell anyone. I’ll lose my job!”

 

“Sure thing.” Carmilla couldn’t help but feel a slight fluttering in her chest, and it took her a minute to figure out why.

 

It was because she was going to see Laura again.

 

***

 

Carmilla paced up and down outside Laura’s door for a little longer than she was willing to admit before she built up the courage to knock.

 

When Laura opened the door at last, the smaller girl’s mouth dropped open in surprise.

 

“Car-Carmilla?”

 

“I, uh…” Carmilla ran her hand awkwardly through her hair. “I have some bad news about your cat…”

 

***

 

Carmilla stood behind Laura at the Vet’s surgery, watching her snuggling Muffin to her chest. Muffin seemed more than pleased to be reunited with her owner. She did not, however, seem pleased with the cone the vet had fitted around her neck to stop her biting her stitches.

 

“Thank you so much!” Laura stuttered to the vet for the thousandth time.

 

“No problem.” They grinned, flicking their ginger fringe out of their eyes. “Just glad I could help!”

 

“So how much do I owe you?” Laura eased Muffin into her carry case, ignoring her mewls of protest.

 

“Oh, nothing at all. She paid last time.” The vet nodded in Carmilla’s direction.

 

“Oh! Thank you so much, you didn’t have to- I’ll pay you back! As soon as I have some money…” Laura picked the carrier up and the pair left with a nod goodbye to the vet.

 

“Just count us even for your door.” Carmilla muttered.

 

Laura’s laugh was light and airy, and Carmilla swore she could feel the flush creeping up her neck. She owed Laura an explanation.

 

“The truth is – I, uh, felt kind of guilty. For basically half – stealing your cat, I mean.”

 

Laura smiled at her. “It- its fine. She just took a liking to you, and once Muffin takes a liking… well, there’s no escape, really. Although I did wonder where she kept disappearing off to, and why she was getting so heavy! What have you been _feeding_ her?”

 

That time, they both laughed.

 

“Although,” Laura continued. “You don’t always have to wait for her to turn up at your door, you know. And I can’t exactly let her out until her wounds have healed so…If you wanted to come over to, uh, see her that would be…” Laura swallowed.

 

Carmilla grinned.

 

“I’d like that.”

 

***

 

Carmilla really should be used to Muffin tripping her up by now. This was the thought that flew through her head as she went flying forwards into Laura, knocking them both off their feet and into a pile on the floor. The pair were not helped when Muffin immediately jumped onto Carmilla’s back.

 

“That’s it. I’m trapped forever now.” She groaned. “Or at least, until your damn cat gets up.”

 

“Might as well call her ours now.” Laura giggled. “I mean, she practically is, right?”

 

It was true. Over the last week or so, Carmilla had probably spent more time in Laura’s flat than in her own. At first she had pretended it had just been for Muffin, but that lie fell through pretty fast. The fact of the matter was that Laura was great company. She was sweet, funny, thoughtful – the exact opposite of Carmilla, really. She had become so used to pushing those she liked away that, now she was actually getting to know someone for once, Carmilla was surprised to find the whole ordeal… pretty nice.

 

Carmilla smiled down at Laura, aware that she was still lying on top of her, trapped between the girl and her cat.

 

“I guess you’re right.”

 

Laura reached up to brush a strand of hair behind Carmilla’s ear, and something in her gut twisted. The girl’s eyes met.

 

“Carmilla-” Laura licked her lips nervously. “Hey.”

 

“Hey.”

 

“Can I, uh- would it be weird if I kissed you?”

 

Carmilla felt a smirk steal over her face. “I guess you’ll just have to find out.”

 

“You can be _so_ infuriating sometimes.” Laura frowned, but her heart wasn’t in it.

 

“Just shut up and kiss me already.”

 

Even though she was expecting it, Carmilla couldn’t stop her breath from catching when Laura cupped her face in her hands, pulling her down until their lips met.

 

She tasted like chocolate and warmth, and Carmilla’s heart did somersaults.

 

They didn’t notice when Muffin climbed off at last.

**Author's Note:**

> For those who are interested:  
> Carmilla got onto Laura's balcony by dropping down from Kirsch's, as they are not exactly underneath each other but diagonally above/below. (Don't try it at home though, kids)  
> She did this because a) she was drunk b) she thought her flat was directly underneath Kirsch's (she miscalculated) c) she wanted to go home and d) she really, really hates stairs. How she managed to smash through some pretty solid glass is still a mystery.  
> Muffin got onto Carmilla's balcony through feline agility and possibly some witchcraft. Following the incident in this fic she made a full recovery with the help of Doctor LaFontaine.
> 
> Thank you for reading this fic ^_^ Feedback and suggestions for the future are always appreciated!


End file.
